Savage 99 Question

4

44caliberkid

New member
I've always loved the lines of a Savage 99 and have been looking for a nice shooter grade in 250-3000. I've seen solid frame and takedown models and was wondering if there is any accuracy loss with the takedown version. For my use, I don't really need a takedown feature.
 
The accuracy change of a 99 in a take down is next to nothing in a hunting rifle. Granted it’s may not be a target rifle or as good as a bolt action. But for deer and speed goats it’s excellent.
On another note, a 250 savage in a take down will hold its value real well, much better than a solid frame. A bit of nostalgia in having a take down gun. Back in their day, hunters often traveled by train to there hunting area. There was not so good highway system or even decent roads to travel on. Rail roads advertised package deals to hunters. This would include shipping yourcamp both ways and shipping your deer home. Some times this was a special hunters train they put together. Your personal baggage or suit case had to go in the overhead above your seat, and a take down rifle fit nicely in your suitcase and wasn’t in the freight car to get knocked around.
My Dad told stories of when he was a young kid about 14, of going to a nearby town with horses and wagon and picking up hunters he called “swells” from the big cities and taking them to deer camps way back in the woods. Logging camps became hunting camps for a couple weeks and loggers became guides. He had quite the stories about these guys.
 
Back in the day outfitted hunting parties could also board their hunting dogs on the train. My father had Savage model 99s, and I could not find any appreciable differences between the take down, and the fixed barrel & receiver rifles. The takedowns will always hold more value, especially if they are premium grade rifles in good condition, with their original cases. 250-3000 was a nice round. The Savage 22 High Power was a legendary Tiger hunting round for its day. I tend to stick to chamberings I can find commercially made ammo for but almost anything centerfire can be fabir-cobbled together from some parent case, for those who are diehard reloaders.
 
Lest we forget the lessons of history.
While the 99 in both solid and take down form are wonderful rifles, it does have it's draw backs especially in the 250 Savage chambering. Namely the 1:14 twist rate.
Newton couldn't get the 100 gr bullet to go 3,000 fps with the powders of that day.
Hence the higher ups at Savage had him us the 87gr bullets, which the 1:14 twist rate works for. Problem is the 87gr bullet construction, even in this day is is considered a varmint round. Nosler flat out states in their reloading manual that none of their bullets will stabilize out of a Model 99.
I don't know if the 100 gr flat based bullets from Hornady, or Sierra would work.

Best of luck in your endeavers!
 
Thank you everyone. Im aware of the history and limitations of the round, and it is unlikely that I would ever hunt with it. Just feel like I need one to round out the collection, strictly paper punching, although I might pop an antelope with it, just to bloody it up.
 
Not everybody was so sanguine about takedown accuracy.

A friend had one that had, based on serial number, started out as a .303 or maybe a .22 Imp, converted to .250 with the barrel screwed in tight. It still had the takedown latch foreend but that was all it did, the foreend would come off but the barrel was there to stay.
 
Don't have a 250/3000ths. But I do have a T/D 1899 Sav 30-30 model. An old rifle having very little bluing on it do to generations of use killing deer. Although its kind'a loose in its joint. No matter. Its light, smallish feeling, and right handy quick shooting in tight spaces of nasty bush.

My suggestion:
Buy a straight rifle. Not a T/D unless you intend on shooting Black Powder cartridges that is.
A normal 99 rifle would be the "apple" in anyone's eye
 
I had a 99 carbine in 250/3000 when I was a kid, I traded it off on something that I don't even remember. I don't know why I liked that gun. Anyway I have had my eye open for a
good one for years. They weren't a popular gun in my area in any caliber. Every once in awhile I have picked up a 300sav or 303sav at reasonable price in good shape. Most of them have been TDs. The thing about TDs is some have been TDed over the years to point
they are loose. This is for all TDs not just 99 Savage. The good news is a lot of them were
used very little as a TD or not at all. I have had TDs that it took me days with PB or Kroil to
get apart. Once I get them apart, I clean and put light coat of Nickel Never Sieze on threads. I don't make a practice of taking them apart for no reason.

Just this past summer I went to look at a 99carbine in 25/3000. Turned out it was a 99eg not a carbine. Price was reasonable so I bought anyway. It's a 90% rifle inside & out. A 1950 model. I have herd that they only shot 85g bullets. I don't know what twist is in mine
but it shoots 100gr Hornady RN right around 1" at 100yds. I have had 99 experts tell me I
got a cherry and am lucky. Had others tell me 1949 thru 1951 they made 99s with twist to
shoot heavy bullets. The rifle is in nice shape but has been D&Ted for scope and sling studs installed. Killing any collector value. Gun had a 4x in Weaver pivot mounts when I got it. I jerked them off and put solid mounts & rings on it and put 10x scope on it just to check for
group at 100yds. I have a couple original Lyman tangs for 99s and have one on it now. I don't want a scope on it but don't like tangs on woods gun for snap shooting. Going to look
up a reciver sight for it or fly with irons. I put gun up for trade, only for 99carbine 250/3000
and had some offers but they were newer series with tang safety. I'm not a 99expert but the newer series are not the rifle the old ones are. This one is a keeper unless I get a chance to get a carbine model. The more I shot it the more I like it.
 
44,

That being the case, by all means good luck in your search!
Part of why i grabbed the 250 Savage barrel when the oportunity arrived.
Now i need to build a 25 Souper.
And a 257 Weatherby. Lol
 
The biggest issue with take-downs is the take-down feature itself. Rifles that have been taken apart and reassembled repeatedly may show a lot of wear on the threads, and so may not go together tightly. The threads on the barrels, being softer than the receivers, wear each time the firearm is disassembled, so the lockup becomes weak and the barrel wiggles when reassembled. Accuracy depends on whether the rifle has a peep sight or the factory sights (which remain mostly unaffected).
 
I've always liked the 99, so it was on the 'Maybe someday' list. As luck would have it, a friend had one he wanted to sell off... a 99F in that newfangled .308WIN cartridge. I only considered it a buy it, shoot it, sell it type of rifle... but I found it was All That and a bag of chips once I started shooting it. I took it to Wyoming this summer and was hitting steel gongs at 600yds no problem with cast 170grn bullets. Even though it has a hunting-weight barrel, it does well under sustained fire, and the top-loading magazine is super-bonus... far easier to load than even a side loading gate. I've mounted a Williams receiver peep on mine, it's about as good a rifle as can be, and is a joy to shoot. It's kicked two other rifles out of the safe, including my early '70's 336 in .30-30.... it's that good.
 
Curing the slop in a takedown: Use a feeler gauge on the gap. Then make a shim from a sheet of shim stock.

(I've never done it, but my gunsmithing uncle had a sheet of 0.001" brass for that purpose.)
 
As Scorch mentioned the take down feature on the Savage wasn't particularly conducive to actually being taken down and reassembled a lot.

Winchester take downs had an adjustment mechanism (very thin metal plate and screws) to take up the slack in a take down, but Savage never did.

As Art mentions the correct way to do it is by shimming the barrel shank, but I've seen more than one take down that was tightened up by someone peining the lugs on the barrel so that they were tight in the receiver.

Not a great way to do it.
 
I bought a couple of M99s several decades ago, one in .250/3000 and one in .308. The .250 has been my go-to deer rifle since then. Sadly, I had to sell the .308. That nice rifle shot cast bullets like a champ. Sure would like another one, but.....
 
99 Takedowns and accuracy with 100gr. bullets

I've seen a few 99's and it seems like the takedown in its final form did not give much trouble. The barrel unscrewed-no lugs. I took my 1927 vintage 250-3000 down once. That was enough. The latch was very stiff. No sense in manhandling the gun for no reason in this age of Bore Snakes. Somebody has already spoken of the 1:14 twist. My experience came from shooting three(3) 100gr. factory rounds.:eek: Took that many rounds to decide the 250 was a handloading proposition in 1:14 rifles. It would be good to locate a source for 87gr. rounds. Make sure the rifle has a good bore and watch for split butt stocks. There are several good Savage websites.
 
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Date of 1:10 twist in 250-3000

I did a quick search for the date of Savage going to 1:10 twist is 1960. This data appeared in several post in several forums. It would be great if anybody with an interest do some research. This confirms for me that the vast majority of 99's in 250 caliber had 1:14 twist. Why this round continues to be sold with a 100gr. bullet is a mystery.:confused: Some posters have shared good results with 100gr. bullets and/or factory cartridges. The suggestion is to explore for yourself and go by your results.
 
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